In February, Ukrainian Armed Forces hit 22% more Russian targets, FPV drones most effective– Syrskyi

Ukraine’s Defense Forces hit or destroyed 22% more Russian targets in February 2025 compared to January, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on Sunday, March 9. 

He credited FPV drones and multirotor bombers as the top performers in damaging enemy forces.

"Unmanned systems are now a key part of modern warfare," Syrskyi said. "They evolve constantly, hold or push the front forward, save our soldiers’ lives, and wipe out Russian troops and gear."

He also stressed the urgent need for a unified drone standard across all units to boost coordination in combat missions.

Meanwhile, Russia is not standing still, adopting Ukraine’s drone tactics to build its own capabilities, Syrskyi noted. He said Russian leadership has set up a drone systems command, rapid-response drone units, and is advancing fiber-optic-controlled drones.

Ukraine’s forces are also ramping up fiber-optic drone use, but Syrskyi called this area "needing exceptional focus and maximum effort."

"We cannot lag behind the enemy in tech warfare areas where we must arm ourselves with our own resources. I have defined tasks for manning the relevant units of the UAV systems," he said.

On February 23, Syrskyi detailed the number of Russian targets hit and the maximum range of deep strikes.

Ukraine’s SBU Security Service head, Vasyl Maliuk, has claimed Russia lacks an edge in fiber-optic drones and has no counter to Ukraine’s sea drones.